Chapter 6

Everything has worked out for me. The day of the funeral has arrived and parked out front is the limo that is going to take me to the funeral at the church, to the grave site and then back home again. The insurance company has come through with the insurance pay off. $510,000 for my wife and $15,000 for each child as a child rider on our policy. I am not happy about having all of this money; I would rather have my family than this money. No amount of money can repay for the lives I have lost.

I went out and purchased a new black suit, white shirt and black tie for the event. I found some nice black dress shoes also, but they just don't fit right. I'm not going to keep them after today. But having new shoes and a new suit for an occasion like this seemed like the right thing to do.

I slide into the back seat of the limo, the leather is soft and the driver is very professional. He knows what is going on today. He knows that I have to go and pick my parents up at the hotel and then pick my wife's parents up at their hotel and the five of us are then going to the church. Everyone is somber, so chit-chat is kept to a minimum. We drive in silence.

When we arrive at the Baptist Church in Raytown, I am surprised to see that the parking lot is full of cars. Well not full, since the parking lot can hold well over a thousand cars but the loss of a family has apparently touched a lot of people and they all seemed to show up to support me and the family.

The car drives to the front of the church and drops me off. Off to the side I see the three hearses that carried my wife and kids to the church. They are parked off to the side so that I can be dropped at the front. I am sure that they are not going to stay there for long and will be driven to the front to pick up the caskets at the conclusion of the service.

"Mr. Johnson, I am Brother Brandon, the head pastor of the church and I am so sorry for your loss. If there is anything I can do for you, please let me know." The pastor is young, not even 40 yet, but when he was introduced as the new pastor of the church I liked him right away. A young man, wife, three kids and his back story is so amazing that it still gives me chills. I may have to write it out sometime. I hugged him and exchanged pats on the back just like heterosexual men do when they hug.

"Thank you for allowing me to have this service here. This was Samantha's first church home here in town and we still know people here so where else would I have it?" I asked him still holding onto him after our embrace.

My dad stood back from us, cleared his throat to get my attention. "Oh yes, how rude of me. Pastor Brandon, these are my parents Mark and Jill Johnson. And these fine people are my in laws, Samantha's parents, Bob and Frances Price."

Brandon was very cordial, shaking everyone's hands, welcoming them to the church and hugging the women like old friends. "Welcome. I am sorry that the occasion is so somber but everyone in the church has chipped in to make sure that everything works out for you and we will walk you through it all." He checks his watch, notices the time and walks us down to our seats in the front of the church.

I turn in my seat and look back at all of the people in attendance. The church would be considered a mega-church by anyone's standards and with the main sanctuary holding over 2000 people, it is a mega-church. I won't say that it was full, but the side wings had people half way up and floor was about full. There must have been close to a thousand people here. There is no way that a thousand people could know me and my family. I know that I didn't know that many people. I am going to find out who these people are and what is going on.

The pastor started the service by welcoming everyone here and thanked them for supporting me during this time. He went on to talk about our souls, Jesus' death on the cross and the salvation that is available to us through him by accepting this gift that he has made for us. He is a Baptist preacher so nothing he was saying surprised me in the least. Hopefully someone here will hear it, believe and be saved.

When he was done, he asked Samantha's sister to come forward and say a few things. She went up on stage and related stories of their growing up, family trips, and finally she got around to talking about meeting me and how happy she was. How excited she was when we got married and more stories about the private conversations they shared at family gatherings. She looked my way and thanked me for being such a good husband to her sister. Tears started to fall from my eyes. I didn't know I still have tears left to shed. This moment just really touched my heart and the emotions just streamed out.

She came down from the stage and came over to me; I rose from my seat and embraced her, a very firm embrace. "Thank you", I whispered into her ear while holding onto her tightly. "It was the truth" she said back to me while hugging me. We separated and resumed our seats.

The pastor asked for the Boy Scout leader and the Cub Scout master to come forward and the two men, dressed in their class A uniforms both spoke of David and Joshua, their hard work, the fun times they each had at meetings and at overnight camp outs. They both expressed their sorrow about losing such fine young men and both knew that they both could have earned enough merit badges to be an Eagle Scout.

"I would like to make a final presentation to you Mr. Johnson", Said the Boy Scout troop leader David. "I have heard the merit badge sash that David has earned while being a scout with us. He earned 8 merit badges during the year he was with us while at camp this past summer and while working at our meetings." Out of a small bag that I didn't even notice he had carried up forward, he pulled out a drab green sash with 8 little circle badges sewn onto it. "These badges represent his work while in scouts. They are Art, Mammal Studies, Reptile Studies, Craftsman, Leather working, archery, Dog Care, and camping merit badge. These he has gotten while with us and it is our pleasure to present this sash to you as a remembrance of your fine son David."

The crowd applauded as I walked up the steps to the front of the church to accept the sash and give this fine man a firm embrace. It was very touching at the thoughtfulness of the gift.

I sat back down holding the green sash running my fingers over the small round circles each with a picture stitches on it representing the accomplishment. He could have been an Eagle Scout in just a few years. He would have been good at this. Look what he accomplished so far.

Joshua's cub pack leader then took the mic and spoke. "We also have a small token for you as well. Joshua didn't earn badges like his brother, but he did earn a couple of things. He did earn his Tiger Cub rank and one gold arrow head for attending all of the meetings we have had this year. I am sure that he would have been a Webelos just like his big brother who I had the honor of leading. I would like to present these to you along so that you can always remember that your boys did good work and were earning their way through Scouts."

Again, the crowd applauded and we met on stage where I received the Tiger Cub badge and one small gold arrow head. Both would have been sewn onto their uniforms but will be mine to hold onto. We hugged and I thanked him for his dedication to the pack then we went back to our seats.

The Pastor took the stage again but this time instead of calling someone forward, he asked everyone to focus their attention on the display screens on walls for a presentation that one of my nephews made for Samantha. The lights dimmed and on the screen a series of pictures rolled past showing Samantha, the boys and me all attending family outings, cutting wood on Thanksgiving, or just sitting on the couch as a family. The music was modern Christian music straight from the radio. It lasted several minutes and everyone in attendance seemed to enjoy it laughing at the funny pictures and 'aww-ing' at the touching pictures. I loved it. I am sure that Samantha would have too.

After the video, the audience sat stunned and quiet. It was amazing and even I was stunned. Whoever did it needs to be congratulated.